Child 44

By: Tom Rob Smith

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, Thriller and Suspense, 2009

Thriller Award Winner, Best First Novel, 2009

It is a society that is, officially, a paradise. Superior to the decadent West, Stalin's Soviet Union is a haven for its citizens, providing for all of their needs: education, health care, security. In exchange, all that is required is their hard work, and their loyalty and faith to the Soviet State.

Leo Demidov knows this better than most. A rising, prominent officer in the State Security force, Leo is a former war hero whose only ambition is to serve his country. To defend this workers' paradise - and to guarantee a secure life for his parents and for his wife, Raisa - Leo has spent his career guarding against threats to the State. Ideological crimes - crimes of thought, crimes of disloyalty, crimes against the revolution - are forcefully suppressed, without question.

And then the impossible happens. A different kind of criminal - a murderer - is on the loose, killing at will. At the same time, Leo finds himself demoted and denounced by his enemies, all but sentenced to death. The only way to salvage what remains of his life is to uncover this criminal. But in a society that is officially paradise, it's a crime against the state to suggest that a murderer - much less a serial killer - is in their midst.

To save his life and the lives of his family, Leo must confront the vast resources and reach of the security forces, with only Raisa remaining at his side, to find and stop a criminal that the State won't even admit exists.

©2008 Tom Rob Smith (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Child 44 is a remarkable debut novel - inventive, edgy and relentlessly gripping from the first page to the last." (Scott Turow)

BRUTAL. brutal. holy cow.

Would you listen to Child 44 again? Why?

No because my heart is forever broken and I cannot fathom retraumatizing myself.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist's wife, for being a brilliant, practical, strong, unrepentantly harsh but very touching and lovely character in the end. She is tough as nails and caustic and so incredibly lovely and human.

Have you listened to any of Dennis Boutsikaris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He's a top notch narrator and this book only proves it. I had only heard him do American Gods, but this book with its' Russian accents is basically doing an audio book backwards in high heels. Even when anyone else would sound goofy, he delivers performances as gripping and compelling as ever.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

In Soviet Russia mass murderers are you? No, more seriously- 'Who is there to help when a crime cannot be a crime?' Ah, I'm bad at this.

Any additional comments?

The author pulls ZERO punches at any point, ever, but gives you an incredible sense of the precarious territory the protagonist moves through. The fact that Leo is so unbelievably naive only makes the book more harrowing as his delusions are slowly ripped away.

Very Engaging

The beginning will be confusing and hard to get through but if you bear with the story it will all become clear. It's very good and the narrator does a very good job with the accents.

Trust no one.

Set against the snowy backdrop of Stalinist Russia, we see the central character striving for high ideals in a broken and dysfunctional utopia. Standing next to our hero is his faithful wife. In a world where things are not always as they appear to be, and where fear and ambition often trumps integrity, it is easy to get away with murder.

The plot navigated smoothly through twist and bumps, while leaning to avoid pitfalls, before concluding in a satisfying, albeit sad, ending.


There were a few graphic details, and some desciptions of gruesome acts throughout Child 44. However, there was enough humanity in the characters to convey that these were acts of depravity, and not necessarily the norm..

My Absolute Favorite, Best Yet!

Any additional comments?

The Narrator was excellent, the story was excellent, it gripped me from the first minutes right till the last. I downloaded the sequel right away and was so glad not to have to say goodbye to Leo and Rieesa. I don't like description and there was barely a wasted word in this novel. Amazing story and a lesson in what Russia was like when Stalin ruled. Would highly recommend.

A Well-Crafted Tale!

I started this book not knowing what to think. I enjoyed the first person narrative, as the story progressed. As the characters developed, and the story started circling the climax, I couldn’t put it down! Very well written story, and superb narration.

serious, meaningful, and dark at times

This story is silvery, shadowed, like a northern winter. The bright moments are subtle. It seems like Russia

.

Couldn't stop listening! Excellent!

This was one of the first books I put on my wish list and just kept putting it off. Little did I know what an exceptional book I was missing out on! The release of the movie sparked my interest again. It is full of suspense and excitement from beginning to end! I listened at every chance, putting my other audio books on hold. I enjoyed every minute! You won't regret this listen. Well done Tom Rob Smith! The narration was excellent as well. I'll see the movie but I know it can't be as good. They never are, are they?

Drags initially but picks up

What made the experience of listening to Child 44 the most enjoyable?

I didn't quite get the start of the book. But then had an "Ah Ha" moment, once i realized how Leo and Andre tied in together

What did you like best about this story?

The moment when things become clear - around 70% into the book.

Which scene was your favorite?

The moment when Leo and Andre meet

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Murder along the Trans-siberian Express

Any additional comments?

It was rather sad the way the book ended. I felt sad that Leo never tried looking up his younger brother who had to resort to an alternate route to find Leo.

Amazing Listen

Saw the preview for the upcoming film and upon learning that it was based on a book decided to give it a whirl. No regrets, simply amazing story.

Very interesting, good narration

What did you love best about Child 44?

The character development

Who was your favorite character and why?

Leo - he was a romantic and naive in a time of very little happiness

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

This was a very interesting book, it had a lot of little twists that were genuinely surprising and the characters were well developed. There were a few little things that I would have like resolved a bit more in depth. Over all it was a very good story and plot... definitely held my interest. It was quite depressing as a whole though, I expect serial killer books to be dark but the whole setting was very depressing.